REGINA – Don Jackson was close, but it will be Romar Morris lining up as the Calgary Stampeders’ starting running back this weekend.

After a week that saw all three of the Stamps running back options take reps, the team’s coaching staff ultimately decided to go with Morris, who started the year as the team’s third option.

Terry Williams should see plenty of time with the ball, too.

“You’ll see both guys get a lot of carries — the disappointing side is I really thought Don would play this week, and I’m disappointed for Don,” said Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson. “I’ve got to make sure as a coach that I protect him from himself, and he just wasn’t quite feeling right yet, and it’s not the point in the season to go in there and risk too much.

“I felt like (Morris) had already played, had played fairly well and getting Terry back lightens the load in the return game for Romar, so I felt it was the right decision.”

Calgary Stampeders running back Romar Morris shakes a tackle during first half CFL action against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on Friday, July 28, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Taylor ORG XMIT: MT105

Jackson has been nursing a hamstring injury for a couple weeks and hasn’t played since the Stamps’ Week 6 win over the Montreal Alouettes.

Understandably, fans are eager to see him get back on the field, as he ran for 442 yards and two touchdowns in the five games in which he’s appeared this CFL season.

Morris’ numbers haven’t been quite as eye-popping, as he’s put up 106 yards and one touchdown on 36 carries.

It’s worth noting, though, that Morris didn’t have the benefit of practising with the first-team offence for the first month of the season the way Jackson did, and his yard-total has increased in each of the three games in which he’s played for the Stamps so far.

In recent weeks, he’s been seeing a lot more of the field in practice, and that’s bound to help him get up to speed.

“You definitely get more reps and it’s easier to progress,” Morris said. “Running scout team reps, you’re pretty much just running the other team’s plays.

“I really want to improve and just try to get the run game back flowing, just running between tackles and making explosive plays.”

Getting the run-game going again is something of a point of emphasis for the Stampeders right now, as they haven’t rushed for 100 yards in a game since Week 5 against the Ottawa Redblacks.

That’s not solely the fault of the running backs, though, as Dickenson explained Saturday after the team arrived in Regina.

“It’s gotta be a group effort,” Dickenson said. “Obviously, our offensive line opening up and moving people, and we’ve had some breakdowns with our receivers protecting the edge for blitzes and stuff, and then we’ve missed some holes and some cuts.”

OUT FOR A WHILE

The Stampeders are going to be without Ese Mrabure for a little while, and it doesn’t sound like the diagnosis on his injury is particularly encouraging.

The Canadian defensive tackle was added to the team’s six-game injured list on Saturday, and when Dickenson explained the circumstances surrounding the move, it didn’t sound particularly good.

“He got hurt on a short-yardage (play) — a shoulder injury, and it’s not minor,” Dickenson said. “It’s something we’re going to have to monitor all year if we get him back and probably will have to be surgically repaired at the end of the year.”

The good news is the Stamps have a decent amount of depth at their Canadian defensive tackle position, as both Derek Wiggan and Junior Turner are legitimate starters.

They’ll also be without defensive end Cordarro Law for the immediate future, though, which will allow fellow American James Vaughters an opportunity to really, truly establish himself.

Vaughters has shown that he’s a valuable piece of the Stamps pass-rushing puzzle, but the team is going to be relying on him as their day-in, day-out starter for the foreseeable future.

“With Cordarro on the six-game, and we’re not quite sure when we’ll get him back, if at all. (Vaughters) came in a couple years ago, and it was such a crowded position when he went down to the NFL,” Dickenson said. “Every time he’s been in there, he does the most with the opportunities.”

NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT

Starting corner Tre Roberson will also be out of Sunday’s lineup against the Riders, and that means Tay Glover-Wright is going to get a chance to lock down the Regina crew’s wide receivers.

Like Jackson, though, it doesn’t sound as if Roberson will be out for all that long.

He participated in practice throughout the week at McMahon Stadium and just isn’t 100% ready to play.

“(Roberson) practised all week and then just didn’t feel quite right in the end,” Dickenson said. “I put him in the same mode as Don Jackson — I’m just not willing to put a guy in there who is a valuable piece of our team if they don’t feel they can last the whole game. It’s just not worth it at this stage. I think either guy in playoffs or Grey Cup, would for sure be playing, but it was my decision to get a look at Tay, and (Patrick Levels) will play a lot, too.”

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